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The Saint Louis church is a parish church founded at the end of the 17th century thanks to the will of Monsignor Le Camus, bishop of Grenoble who wanted to create two parishes in Grenoble's new neighbourhoods: one inside the city, Saint Louis, and the other outside the city wall, Saint Joseph, in the eponymous neighbourhood.
Built between 1689 and 1699, it was consecrated just after construction by Monsignor Le Camus and dedicated to Saint Joseph, patron saint of king Louis XIV and protector of France.
A plaque bearing a Latin inscription, placed just above the entranceway reminds passersby that Louis the Great had this house built for the Lord, in the year 1699.
The church, laid out in the shape of a Latin cross by the king's engineer and the city's architect Claude Mollart, is of very sober, classical architecture. The bell tower, with its arched bays closed by sound-absorbing shutters, is topped with a dome.
The choir houses a beautiful alter from the 17th century and paintings from the 1680s by Dominican brother André. Originally placed in the Dominican church, they were moved to Saint Louis in 1805. The choir stalls, the confessionals, and the cathedra, all from the 17th century, are carved from walnut wood.
The church also houses a beautiful white marble statue of the Virgin that is perhaps the work of a Grenoble sculptor from the 16th century.
The stained glass windows, created in 1925 and 1934, present two very different styles.
In the 1980s, a new organ replaced the grand organs of the 17th century in the Saint Louis church. The older organ was taken out and installed in the abbey of Saint Antoine, which was its original location. Both organs were crafted by a renowned organ maker. Created by the French organ maker Bartoloméo Fromentelli, it includes 61 stops and 4600 pipes.
The large oculus above the entrance is an original element of the main façade and features at the same time a stained glass window and the church clock.
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